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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY OONCERN:

Be it known that I, O. J. KOMAR, of Willoughby, in the county of Lake, and State of Ohio, have invented animproved Step and Extension-Ladder; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is u side elevation of .the step-ladder arrangement.

Figure 2, a side elevation of the extension arrangement.

Figure 3, a front elevation of the ladder extended.

Figures 4, and 5, side elevations, on an enlarged scale, of the contact faces of the siderails of the upper and lower sections of the ladder.

Figure G, plan view of said side rails, and

Figure 7, front elevation, on a still larger scale, of portions ofthe said upper and lower sections, showingthe pulley arrangement for raising or lowering the upper section.

The letters of reference marked thereon' indicate the saine parts in all the figures.

This improvement relates to a ladder to be employed principally for gathering fruit from trees, and is so constructed and arranged that it can be used as a step-ladder, having a platform on which the operator can stand, and for supporting a basket, or other receptacle for fruit, and is 'readily convertible into an extension-ladder, when required. I p

The following description will enable those skilled in the art to understand its construction and operation.

This ladder is composed of'two sections, the upper and lower, as seen in g. 3. A, fig. 1, is one of a pair of side rails of the lower section. On its inside face are cut two longitudinal grooves, B and B', iig. 5, extending the whole length, as seen.' On the upper end, in groove B', is a hole,'C, and in the other groove, Ijust below it, is an opening in which-are plaeedtwo pulleys, D and D. On the top of said rail is a bracketed support, E, for the platform, hereinafter referred to. Both'rails are 'of corresponding construction, and are united in the usual way by rounds; a windla'ss-shaft, F, fig. 3, having its lever F placed through its middle, being also inserted when said rails are put together. A pair of long braces, one of which is'seen at G, iig. 1, are united by a set of rounds. On the upper portion of said braces, and supported therein, are two iron bars H H', fig. 8, and a bracketed support, I, similar to E, iig. 5, is also provided,as seen. The said braces are attached to the rails A of the lower section, before described, by hinges J, as seen in g. 1.

l.The foregoing is a description of the step-ladder feature.v Iwill now. explain the construction of the exten sion arrangement. K, fig. 4, is one of a pair of side rail-s, provided on'its outside face with two longitudinal grooves, L L. On the lower end of groove L is an opening, M, and a little above it, in the other groove L', is another opening, in which is a pulley, N. Above this is a hole, O, for the pulley-cord, hereinafter mentioned. On the back edge of the ysaid rail K is indented a series of notches, P. The construction of the opposite' rail is in all respects similar. Both are united by rounds, as seen in g. 3. On the bracketed supports I and E are two boards,r Q, Q. The former may be secured permanently, the other so as to be removable. The upper oi* extension section is placed inside the lower section, back of thc-1ounds, and so that the grooves of cach sec= tion will come opposite, forming two continuous channels, as shown ut R R', in plan'view, iig. 6. VIn each 'of the channels R is a pulley-eord, S, one end of which cornes through hole O of the rail K, and is knotted to prevent drawing through. It (the rope) then passes up the said channel and over pulley D, and descends inside of pulley D through same groove to the windlass F, to which it is made fast, as represented by the dotted and full lines in fig'. 7. To keep the said extension section in place, when raisedor lowered, a short tongue,

T, passes through the side of rail K intorthe `groove B of rail A, and so for the opposite side.

A second tongue, `T.,

passes in like manner through rail A into the groove L of rail K, and so with the corresponding rail of the said upper section. The pulleys N N on thelowcr parts of rails K K serve as guides for the cords, and as frictiory rollers in the ascent and descent of the said upper section.

The operation is as follows: When the ladder srcquired for use as a stcp-laddcr the upper section is to be kept lowered, and the back structure swung out, as `seen in iig. 1, so that the two boards Q and Q of the platform are level. When the ladder is to be extended the-upper section is elevated to the required height by means of the windlass, the back structure is then closed against the lower section, so'as that the iron bars H H shall catch into two of .the series of notehes P of the extension, and all are secured by the catchesy provided forthe purpose, as seen in fig. 2. It is obvious that by unhooliing the said parts the notches l? will he released from the said bars II Il', so that the upper section can be lowered by reversing the motion of the windlass.

It will he Seen that the pairs of bracketed supports I E are independent of each other, so that when the back structure is Closed, as stated, the board Q' is in position for use. I What I claim `as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is 1. The side rails A of the lower section, provided with longitudinal grooves B B', pulleys D D', opening C, and tongue T', and the side rails K of the upper section, provided with longitudinal grooves L L', roller N, opening M, tongue T, and hole O, all arranged and operatingjn combination with the cord S and windlass F, in the manner and for 'the purpose speci-lied..

2. The hars H H', located and secured in the braces G, in combination with the notches P of the side rails K, operating as and for the purpose set forth C. J. KOMAR.

Witnesses;

J. F. SINGLE, M. S. HARVEY. 

